CalWORKs

CalWORKs

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WIC, the Women, Infants and Children Program is a nutrition program that helps pregnant women, mothers with infants, infants and young children eat well, be active, and stay healthy. Click here to apply for WIC or to learn more about WIC resources.

There is a telephone and cell phone text scam that is affecting DPSS customers/EBT cardholders! Scammers are identifying themselves as CalWORKs or Social Services. Some messages that are sent indicate that the EBT card has been compromised or closed. The caller/text then prompts the customer for his/her 16-digit EBT card number and security PIN and requests the customer to call a number to reactivate the card.

There are various versions of the EBT card scam. Customers/Cardholders should never provide any information. DPSS will never ask you to provide your EBT card number or security PIN. Customers/Cardholders who have already provided card numbers and PINs to a third party should call the phone on the back of the EBT card to report the EBT card as lost or stolen and change the PIN.

CalWORKs Program

The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program is a time-limited program that provides financial assistance to eligible needy families with (or expecting) children to help pay for housing, food, utilities, clothing, medical care, and other necessary expenses.

When applying, you can ask for immediate help if your family has little or no cash and needs emergency housing, food, utilities, clothing, or medical care.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The DPSS office will set up a mandatory face-to-face interview with a CalWORKs Eligibility Worker. During the interview, the CalWORKs Eligibility Worker will:

Obtain the necessary facts and verify the applicant’s eligibility to the program;

Advise and explain the rules and responsibilities to the applicants; and

Have the applicant complete the required application and forms and provide proof of income and property, citizenship status, age, social security number, residence, shelter costs, work or school status and other information for each family member.

*New Applications*: Families who are applying for benefits could schedule an appointment online by accessing the Your Benefits Now website at https://www.yourbenefits.laclrs.org/ybn/Index.html. Families can also access some of the CalWORKs rules by clicking on the following links:

A list of the required documents needed to apply for the programs and/or services needed; and

The name and description of some agencies where you are able to get the required documents.

OTHER PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

There are many other programs and benefits for which a CalWORKs family may qualify:

Medical Coverage: In most cases, each member of the family getting CalWORKs will also qualify for Medi-Cal which will pay for most medical costs. The County will explain this benefit to the applicant.

Welfare-to-Work Program: The Welfare-to-Work Program helps family members acquire the skills needed to get a job. The County will determine if a family must participate in Welfare-to-Work activities as a requirement for CalWORKs. Families may also volunteer to participate.

Child Care: Families that receive CalWORKs may also be eligible for child care services to help pay for child care costs. The County will explain to the family what services are available.

CalFresh Program (formerly Food Stamp Program): In most cases, eligible CalWORKs families qualify for CalFresh to help meet their food needs. Often, the CalWORKs application is automatically used by the County to assess the family's eligibility to CalFresh benefits.

Child Support: If the family includes a child aided by CalWORKs whose parent is not living with the caretaker, the County will automatically notify the local Child Support Agency (LCSA). There are some exceptions to this referral to the LCSA for child support enforcement including families that have reached the 48-month time limit on aid and families that request an exception due to domestic violence. For all other cases, the LCSA will provide all necessary child support services, including establishing paternity, establishing and enforcing a support obligation and collecting support payments. If the child's paternity has not been previously established, the adult caretaker is required to help the local child support agency to do so. This may mean participating in an interview and submitting the child to blood testing if the alleged parent, once contacted, refuses to acknowledge paternity.